Viewing The landmark 75th edition of New Contemporaries returns to the ICA with 35 early career artists

This year is the landmark 75th anniversary of the annual exhibition New Contemporaries, as it returns to the Institute of Contemporary Arts, where it has been held variously since the 1960s. New Contemporaries is a truly unique platform for early career artists, often giving recent graduates their first public exhibition, and launching the careers of many more.

This year’s edition features thirty-five artists, selected by artists Liz Johnson Artur, Permindar Kaur and Amalia Pica through an open call. There is no specific theme but the selected artists share common ground – an interest in the natural world, sustainability, and kinship. It offers an overview of the pressing concerns and challenges facing not only artists but everyone today.

The mix is interesting – we are looking forward to seeing sculptures by London-based RA Schools graduate Motunrayo Akinola, performance pieces by Sun Oh, and paintings by Varshga Premarasa, forging a material connection to her parents’ homeland, Sri Lanka, by creating images from their stories, memories, films – and AI.